The modern communications era has brought about a tremendous expansion of wireline and wireless networks. Computer networks, television networks, and telephony networks are experiencing an unprecedented technological expansion, fueled by consumer demand. Wireless and mobile networking technologies have addressed related consumer demands, while providing more flexibility and immediacy of information transfer.
Current and future networking technologies continue to facilitate ease of information transfer and convenience to users. One area in which there is a demand to increase ease of information transfer relates to the delivery of services to a user of a mobile terminal. The services may be in the form of a particular media or communication application desired by the user, such as a music player, a game player, an electronic book, short messages, email, content sharing, web browsing, etc. The services may also be in the form of interactive applications in which the user may respond to a network device in order to perform a task or achieve a goal. The services may be provided from a network server or other network device, or even from the mobile terminal such as, for example, a mobile telephone, a mobile television, a mobile gaming system, etc.
In many situations, it may be desirable for the user to interface with a device such as a mobile terminal for the provision of an application or service. As such, a user interface may be provided to enable receipt of user input at the device and provision of output to the user. The user interface may be utilized for text input, for selection of commands, options, hotspots, etc., and for numerous other functions. A typical user interface may include a keyboard including keys that may be pressed or selected in order to provide character entry. The keyboard may be physically embodied, for example, as a plurality of keys having a predefined function associated therewith, or may be embodied in software (e.g., via a touch screen or a keyboard rendered on a display with keys selectable by mouse or scrolling device). A user's experience during certain applications may be enhanced by using a touch screen display or a rendered keyboard as the user interface. Furthermore, some users may have a preference for use of a touch screen display or rendered keyboard for entry of user interface commands over other alternatives. In recognition of the utility and popularity of touch screen displays and rendered keyboards, many devices, including some mobile terminals, now employ such interfaces.
Touch screen devices are now relatively well known in the art, with numerous different technologies being employed for sensing a particular point at which an object may contact or even approach the touch screen display. In an exemplary situation, pressure detection may be sensed over a relatively small area and the detection of such pressure may be recognized as a selection of an object, link, item, hotspot, etc. associated with the location of the detection of the pressure. Other mechanisms are also available including, for example, capacitive sensing which may be able to detect an object approaching the touch screen display. Accordingly, although we will refer herein to a touch screen display, it should be recognized that it is not necessary in all cases for a physical touch of the screen to occur in order to register an input as a touch event. Moreover, a touch screen may be employed in conjunction with a stylus, a pen, pencil or other pointing device that may be substituted for a dedicated instrument to function as a stylus (e.g., a finger). Such devices may be advantageous since they provide a relatively precise mechanism by which to apply pressure that may be detected over a corresponding relatively small area and can therefore be recognized as indicative of a user's intent to select a corresponding object, link, item, hotspot, etc.
However, regardless of whether a touch screen, rendered keyboard or physical keyboard is utilized, for certain electronic devices in which the size of the device may be limited for practical or personal reasons, it may be difficult to provide text entry in an efficient or expeditious manner. Accordingly, it may be desirable to provide a mechanism for overcoming at least some of the disadvantages discussed above.